Post by Cahaya on Jan 29, 2012 7:51:31 GMT -5
Okay, hello.
Me and Verboten have been working on this through PM, and we need a third founder and some more input and stuff, so we've decided to stick it up in here. Before you read all this, please do note that we're not going to apply for the pack for a few months. I was planning to wait a year after being back before applying for anything like this, but together me and Verboten have decided March/April should be OK. So just keep in mind this isn't going to actually be applied for until March/April/May-ish time. The aim would be to go slow and it probably wouldn't be finalised and done until August/September.
Name of Pack: Gladia Circle
3 Founders: presumably one of Verb's characters will be one, and I will bring one of my characters (Irynn) on here to be another, and then we need a third... Probably we'd need five founders as it would be best to have all three Shuhan, the Kisaki, and the Shogun from the get-go.
Note whoever becomes Kisaki is probably gonna be a new character, a rebel outcast princess person from far away
Pack Colours: Unsure on this one. We were thinking red and gold but the Vahvuss Perhe Society has already taken those. We also like blue and silver but blue's overused (Accord, Mafia, Order-if-it-happens) and so is grey (Children, Mafia, Enclave). Blue and yellow is also nice but the Order of the Ibis took that.
We were thinking possibly bright purple (for royalty, because of the Empress' royalty, and for community, and for courage and honour, two aspects of the Via) and turquoise (for kindness and benevolence, two aspects of the Via). 660099 and 99FFCC?
Pack Location: Unsure on this one. The options seem to be, unless they decided to bring the islands back (which would be so perfectly perfect), Shinkou Mountains, Dteria Plains, Hotali Desert, Yuliterra Prairie, and Nanjiro Swamp. The Mountains and Desert are a bit... extreme, the Plains and Prairie have no shelter and just don't suit the pack, and the Swamp is wet and yucky. The only places I can really see them in are the Canyon and the Cove but both of those are taken. It might be nice if we could have our own territory made, like the Centena Accord had the Lake made, but I doubt that'll happen. This, therefore, is a puzzle.
Brief Description of Pack: see rest of thread
Who is paying for the pack?: ummmm ummmm volunteers?
How would this pack benefit WW as a whole?: uhh it's cool. Also it provides a place for strong female characters who want to fight and stuff. And it means there is an intricate-politics pack so there can be awesome power-manoeuvring plots and political subtleness plots. Also it is cool and therefore it will make WW even more cool than it already is.
Subdivisions of Territory:
I like the idea of each Clan having their own little sub-territory. Obviously the whole pack would be allowed anywhere in the whole territory (except possibly males wouldn't be allowed near the sacred cherry tree?) but that Clan would 'hold court' there and if there was ever inter-Clan tensions the different land powers could come into political play.
Pack image - I have one, but it FAILS. I might show it to somebody really nice and get them to make me a new one.
PACK DESCRIPTION
The pack is a mix-up of Roman stuff, Amazon stuff, Japanese stuff, and a few original ideas thrown in just for fun. It's not based on any one particular concept/idea, it's based on loads and loads and all blended up and stuff.
Here is my tentative first draft of pack description, which is pretty useless because it just sounds like it's listing the points rather than being a continuous whole paragraph. Grr.
The Gladia Circle was founded on the ideals of honour, which are laid out in its sacred code, the Via, which calls for all wolves to value duty, loyalty, kindness, obedience, courage, dignity, respect, moral strength, and prowess in battle. The symbol of all their power, honour and glory is their eagle flag; they will defend this to the death. They would rather die than dishonour themselves or fail to obey orders, and each wolf has the power of life and death over those ranked lower than her. The flag, honour, and the strength of the pack comes before all else. It is a pack of females; males are considered brutes to be enslaved, without the subtlety of mind or strength of spirit to follow the Via. Within the pack, three Clans, Diana, Minerva and Vesta, constantly manoeuvre for power, and the intricate politics of the pack are often found baffling by foreigners. The friendly rivalry between the Clans keeps the pack strong, as well as dividing the power; no one wolf may hold too much power in this pack, and this is shown in the balance of power between the highest ranks as well as between the three Clans.
and a bullet point list of all their quirks and foibles and awesomenesses;
- it's an ALL FEMALE pack... any males they can get their hands on are captured, enslaved, and bossed around.
- they have a flag that they defend to the death (no idea how they got hold of that) because it's their symbol, like the Roman eagle
- their most fundamental tenet is honour. They follow something called the 'Via' (Latin for road, the closest I could get to 'the Way'... might just forget the name 'Via' and call it plain old bushido though).
- the Via says that the most glory and honour is gained by serving your superiors and prowess/courage in battle
- they are ABSOLUTE followers of the Via and would die before dishonour/shame
- "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR!"
- they have no real concept of 'mates', as males are so much lower than them. If a female wants cubs she will just pick a male she likes, but there's certainly no requirement to be 'faithful' to a mate or whatever.
- they are extremely duty-bound and believe it's really important to follow orders and keep promises and be loyal
- put the pack and the pack's honour before themselves
- it doesn't give any one person TOO much power, which is part of the Via - everybody has somebody else to bow to. The Via is big on duty and obedience. There's a balance of power between the three Clans, and between the Kisaki, Shogun and Nakamura
- divided into several Clans, the competitive friendly rivalry between which keeps the whole pack strong
- ranks pass down through family eg. the Kisaki's oldest daughter will be the next Kisaki, a Shuhan's oldest daughter will be the next Clan lord, etc etc
- they worship their Kisaki and believe she is descended from the Great Spirit
- they stick honorifics on people's names (-sama for a high rank (or for all samurai if you're a peasant), -san for samurai, -chan for peasants or young wolves still in training, males don't deserve honorifics)
- higher ranks have the power of life and death over lower ranks
- if you read the book Shogun it really ought to help you figure out Clan politics, because the Clan politics are SERIOUSLY intricate. Everybody's always manoeuvring for power and being complicated and cunning.
- when somebody new comes to the pack, they are usually peasant, as only samurai's children can be samurai. However, if a samurai wishes to adopt somebody (adoption is very common in this pack) the newcomer can be samurai. This would happen if a newcomer made a VERY good impression or had done a good deed for the pack in the past before joining it (for instance, if they belonged to another pack, were a good friend to the Circle whilst in that pack, and then left that pack and came to the Circle, a samurai might adopt them because they are deemed to conduct themselves well.)
The three Clans would be called Minerva, Diana and Vesta after the three Roman goddesses. The Minerva clan would focus more on the prowess in battle and courage side of the Via, Diana would focus on the wisdom, dignity and morality side of the Via, and Vesta would focus more on the benevolence, kindness, fairness, loyalty side of the Via. Obviously, since the Clans are so competitive, they would see each other as rivals; the other Clans would see Vesta as a bunch of softies and cowards, Minerva as bloodthirsty hotheads, and Diana as stuck-up think-and-never-actually-DO-anything people.
A few things do still need sorting out... for instance, the Kisaki' species; obviously whichever species the Kisaki is, ALL the future and past Kisaki would have been that species. As they're supposed to be descended from the Great Spirit I'd love somebody with an LE to play them. Otherwise, maybe a Lumen or Sennyo? Certainly it would be easier for a Lumen/Sennyo to produce heirs than a really rare LE species.
And finally... I'll post the ranks in 10 minutes, I just want to post this before the PC decides to lose it all, as I know it will...
**edit
Okay, here are the ranks;
FIRST TIER - I was thinking maybe calling this 'Libraregis', (Libra being latin for scales, and regis being some form or other of either 'monarch' or 'realm' (can't be bothered to work it out XD), 'balance of power'?)
KISAKI - supposedly descended from the Great Spirit. In theory has absolute power but in reality the Shogun has most of the power, and the Kisaki is just a figurehead. Only those of the Kisaki' royal blood may carry this title.
KEISHI - the eldest non-hybrid daughter of the Kisaki, training to be Kisaki one day. Is respected because of her bloodline.
SHOGUN - chosen from among the Shuhan, has absolute power over all of the pack (except the Kisaki, of course). TECHNICALLY she gives up her Clan when she becomes Shogun and her Clan is then led by her heir, and she's supposed to be impartial, but in reality she always shows favouritism to her own Clan. When the position becomes open the Kisaki chooses the most powerful Shuhan to be the Shogun, hence the Clans always vying for power and favour. While they're in effect the leader they still have to bow and scrape to the Empress (service, see? The Via!) If the Kisaki deems them unfit for the position they are returned to their Clan and a new Shogun is chosen, either from the same Clan or a different Clan - any of the Shuhan. The Clan itself sorts out who ranks what then (as their Asu will have taken her position as Shuhan when they were promoted to Shogun... so it might get politically... interesting.)
NAKAMURA - highest position any lowborn wolf can achieve (they cannot be a Shuhan, Shogun or Kisaki). Basically administrator, looks after the day-to-day stuff, sorts out disputes, etc. That leaves the Shogun to sit around and look powerful and concentrate on the important stuff. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as Nakamura - it's based on skill, not birth.
KOUSEN - basically the most skilled tactician in the pack. Advises the Shogun on battle tactics and border defence. Because it's such a warlike pack, the Via teaching bravery and prowess in battle above all, the Kousen would be quite respected. Though she only has the AUTHORITY of a regular samurai - she just advises - she's really important. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as general - it's based on skill, not birth.
KYUUI - whichever person is the best at healing in the pack gets this rank. Other samurai can have/use healing skills too, but this wolf is the only official doctor. She is charged with keeping the Kisaki and her family in perfect health and tending to the Samurai if they have life-threatening illnesses/injuries. In non-life-threatening cases they're supposed to grin and bear it because they're brave and tough like that. The Via calls for courage and not being a wimp XD. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as Kyuui - it's based on skill, not birth.
USUALLY the Kousen, Kyuui and Nakamura would all be from different Clans to keep the power balance even. Usually, though, not always.
SECOND TIER of ranks - SAMURAI tier... unsure what to call it though.
The Second Tier is split into three Clans - Minerva, Diana and Vesta. Each rank is PER CLAN eg. one Shuhan per Clan, one Asu per Clan, one Kouyuu per Clan, a load of samurai per clan, a load of Teishi and Oshiego and Ikei per Clan...
SHUHAN - Clan lord basically. Bosses around her Clan and leads it. Bows to the Shogun. Has absolute authority over her OWN clan but her authority over other Clans' samurai is complicated - she is technically higher ranked than regular samurai but if they're not from her Clan they have to obey THEIR Shuhan's orders before they obey the orders of any other Clan's Shuhan so they can sort of compete with the other Clans for power.
ASU - Heir to the Clan. The eldest daughter of the Shuhan is heir to the Clan leadership. She is equal with the Kouyuu and is tasked with learning about one day being Shuhan and helping to look after and lead the pack. If the Shuhan has no daughters, then she can name a non-related wolf to be heir, providing that wolf is samurai-born and not lowborn.
KOUYUU - usually the Shuhan's best childhood friend. Advisor and deputy to the Shuhan. The Asu will usually be influenced by her mother to spend a lot of time with a particular young wolf who the Shuhan considers good Kouyuu material, so that when they grow up that wolf will be Kouyuu. If the Shuhan dies without naming an Asu, the Kouyuu becomes Shuhan.
SAMURAI - the regular samurai. Their job is to fight, boss peasants around, act important, serve their Shuhan, constantly train their fighting skills, lecture people about the Via, and generally act samurai-like.
GEISHA - those samurai who find that their talents do not lie in honour and glory through prowess in battle may become geisha. Geisha are the source of peace in a rather warlike pack. They are there to remind the pack of the proud ideals and the beauty and the peace that is the reason they fight and value battle skills so much. Their job is mainly as friends and entertainers, to make music, create art, and compose poetry. They are also used as ambassadors and messengers to other packs. They also have some training as medics, so they can help the Kyuui to heal and look after the pack.
TEISHI - the retainers. A peasant with unusual skills in fighting, good moral conduct and whose parents weren't complete delinquents may become Teishi. This is the only way for a non-samurai to become samurai. The Teishi hurries around after the samurai doing whatever they order and training in fighting and studying the Via. If they perform an act of bravery or very good deed they can be made Samurai, a great honour. Then all their descendants would also be Samurai.
OSHIEGO - children of samurai. When still young, they're looked after by the pack. When slightly older, they follow the samurai around and copy whatever they do. When older still, given some responsibility and expected to help out around the pack. From a very young age they are trained to be elite fighters. When they do a good enough deed, or participate bravely in a battle, or show unusual dedication to the Way, they get declared adults and made full samurai.
IKEI - retired samurai. They are respected and listened to, and looked after by everybody, even the high ranks. Even the Kisaki listens to them because of their age. Age is respected in the Circle, even though it doesn't automatically equal wisdom. (Kisaki and Shuhan don't retire unless they are taking so little of their duties that their heir is basically doing them for them and the heir and second together decide they are unfit to lead (and if Shuhan, get the Kisaki's permission to retire them; if Empress, pray to the Great Spirit for wisdom in whether to remove her) - and even then they retain their position with the Asu/Kouyuu acting as Regent until they die. They might have to take less active participation in physical stuff and battles as they age, but they can still lead.)
THIRD TIER peasants. Because they're female they have rights and stuff, and they can boss males around, and live good lives. However, they still have to obey the Samurai. This tier is also divided into the three Clans - peasants from Diana serve Diana samurai, peasants from Minerva serve Minerva samurai, peasants from Vesta serve Vesta samurai, and if they were promoted to Teishi they would be Teishi of that Clan - but it's a bit more loose. There's less competitiveness and more willingness to help one another out.
KOMAKAI - basically the peasant organiser. Usually a Teishi who was never made samurai, or an unusually smart Hyakushou, is given this rank. Oversees the peasants of her Clan, does her fair share of work herself, and makes sure they're all organised and know what they're doing and everything runs smoothly. Is also in charge of disciplining males who disobey, usually by killing them.
HYAKUSHOU - their job is to serve and look after the pack. They are peasants, basically. They hunt, help look after the younger Oshiego, and do what the samurai tell them to do. They also have some rights, because they're female, and a samurai will always hear them out at least. They can order the males to do whatever they like. They patrol the borders and if a newbie/trespasser is seen they alert the Samurai who go to greet them/defend the borders. They can be promoted to Teishi if they show unusual skill or loyalty, meaning they have a chance to be samurai.
Typically newcomers to the pack will be Hyakushou, unless a samurai adopts them.
KODOMO - the peasant children. They are looked after by other peasants and they learn skills like basic self-defence, species skills (flying for a Keiyou, weather predicting for a Sennyo, controlling their magic for a Lupus, etc etc), hunting, pack laws and traditions, the Via, etc etc. When they're old enough, they're made Hyakushou (there is no need for an act of courage like there is in the samurai class).
CHUUKO - peasants retire when they're a lot older than samurai. When they're unable to honour themselves in service to their Clan any longer, they are looked after by other peasants. Even samurai treat them with some level of respect, because of their age.
FOURTH TIER males.
Males aren't split into Clans.
TATAMI - slaves that have no rights and get bossed around. The name means 'mat' - something you walk all over XDD. All males are slaves. They can establish a pecking order among themselves if they want, so long as it doesn't interfere with the work getting done. They can take more work upon themselves to take it off the shoulders of younger/older/ill wolves if they wish. As soon as a male cub is weaned he is given this rank, and he never retires. Obviously appropriate tasks will be assigned to them - a female wouldn't order a barely-weaned cub to do a job which requires a lot of strength, she'd order a big strong Yagi to do it instead - and it doesn't matter who performs a task once it's ordered to be done, but if a male fails to obey a female, he's put to death. Basically, in the eyes of the females, males are nothing. If the male is seen to pose a threat of rebellion - for instance, if he's a big strong Yagi - then they might hobble/blind the male to stop him acting against the females.
basically an awesome poetic motto thingy the samurai like reciting. Based off the actual medieval Japanese samurai creed thingy.
I have no claws. My wit is claw enough.
I have no tactics. I am ready for everything.
I have no lord. Honour is my lord.
I have no home. My wandering heart is my home.
I have no family. My Clan is my family.
I worship no goddess. The Kisaki is my deity.
I have no magic. My voice is all the magic I need.
I have no armour and no castle. My strength is my defence.
I walk no path. The Via guides my steps.
This REALLY needs editing/remaking for a better version. I like the idea of my image but it's appalling quality.
Me and Verboten have been working on this through PM, and we need a third founder and some more input and stuff, so we've decided to stick it up in here. Before you read all this, please do note that we're not going to apply for the pack for a few months. I was planning to wait a year after being back before applying for anything like this, but together me and Verboten have decided March/April should be OK. So just keep in mind this isn't going to actually be applied for until March/April/May-ish time. The aim would be to go slow and it probably wouldn't be finalised and done until August/September.
Name of Pack: Gladia Circle
3 Founders: presumably one of Verb's characters will be one, and I will bring one of my characters (Irynn) on here to be another, and then we need a third... Probably we'd need five founders as it would be best to have all three Shuhan, the Kisaki, and the Shogun from the get-go.
Note whoever becomes Kisaki is probably gonna be a new character, a rebel outcast princess person from far away
Pack Colours: Unsure on this one. We were thinking red and gold but the Vahvuss Perhe Society has already taken those. We also like blue and silver but blue's overused (Accord, Mafia, Order-if-it-happens) and so is grey (Children, Mafia, Enclave). Blue and yellow is also nice but the Order of the Ibis took that.
We were thinking possibly bright purple (for royalty, because of the Empress' royalty, and for community, and for courage and honour, two aspects of the Via) and turquoise (for kindness and benevolence, two aspects of the Via). 660099 and 99FFCC?
Pack Location: Unsure on this one. The options seem to be, unless they decided to bring the islands back (which would be so perfectly perfect), Shinkou Mountains, Dteria Plains, Hotali Desert, Yuliterra Prairie, and Nanjiro Swamp. The Mountains and Desert are a bit... extreme, the Plains and Prairie have no shelter and just don't suit the pack, and the Swamp is wet and yucky. The only places I can really see them in are the Canyon and the Cove but both of those are taken. It might be nice if we could have our own territory made, like the Centena Accord had the Lake made, but I doubt that'll happen. This, therefore, is a puzzle.
Brief Description of Pack: see rest of thread
Who is paying for the pack?: ummmm ummmm volunteers?
How would this pack benefit WW as a whole?: uhh it's cool. Also it provides a place for strong female characters who want to fight and stuff. And it means there is an intricate-politics pack so there can be awesome power-manoeuvring plots and political subtleness plots. Also it is cool and therefore it will make WW even more cool than it already is.
Subdivisions of Territory:
- Obviously, we'll need some sort of camp.
- A source of clean water would be nice.
- The sacred cherry tree, where the flag (if there ends up being one) flies
- Minerva Clan's place, with training grounds for fighting and some dangerous things like sinkholes or really tall trees which cubs can climb and fall off and get lectured about risk-taking, where Minerva Clan holds court
- Vesta Clan's place, a nice comfortable place where the Circle can house visiting dignitaries and Vesta Clan holds court and where the sick/elderly stay because it's comfortable. Mostly a nice and peaceful place (as far as the Circle can be peaceful) where people sit around and contemplate the Via and enjoy themselves, so the Geisha like spending time here too.
- Diana Clan's little shadowy corner where they can be clever and talk about the Via and act dignified
I like the idea of each Clan having their own little sub-territory. Obviously the whole pack would be allowed anywhere in the whole territory (except possibly males wouldn't be allowed near the sacred cherry tree?) but that Clan would 'hold court' there and if there was ever inter-Clan tensions the different land powers could come into political play.
Pack image - I have one, but it FAILS. I might show it to somebody really nice and get them to make me a new one.
PACK DESCRIPTION
The pack is a mix-up of Roman stuff, Amazon stuff, Japanese stuff, and a few original ideas thrown in just for fun. It's not based on any one particular concept/idea, it's based on loads and loads and all blended up and stuff.
Here is my tentative first draft of pack description, which is pretty useless because it just sounds like it's listing the points rather than being a continuous whole paragraph. Grr.
The Gladia Circle was founded on the ideals of honour, which are laid out in its sacred code, the Via, which calls for all wolves to value duty, loyalty, kindness, obedience, courage, dignity, respect, moral strength, and prowess in battle. The symbol of all their power, honour and glory is their eagle flag; they will defend this to the death. They would rather die than dishonour themselves or fail to obey orders, and each wolf has the power of life and death over those ranked lower than her. The flag, honour, and the strength of the pack comes before all else. It is a pack of females; males are considered brutes to be enslaved, without the subtlety of mind or strength of spirit to follow the Via. Within the pack, three Clans, Diana, Minerva and Vesta, constantly manoeuvre for power, and the intricate politics of the pack are often found baffling by foreigners. The friendly rivalry between the Clans keeps the pack strong, as well as dividing the power; no one wolf may hold too much power in this pack, and this is shown in the balance of power between the highest ranks as well as between the three Clans.
and a bullet point list of all their quirks and foibles and awesomenesses;
- it's an ALL FEMALE pack... any males they can get their hands on are captured, enslaved, and bossed around.
- they have a flag that they defend to the death (no idea how they got hold of that) because it's their symbol, like the Roman eagle
- their most fundamental tenet is honour. They follow something called the 'Via' (Latin for road, the closest I could get to 'the Way'... might just forget the name 'Via' and call it plain old bushido though).
- the Via says that the most glory and honour is gained by serving your superiors and prowess/courage in battle
- they are ABSOLUTE followers of the Via and would die before dishonour/shame
- "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOUR!"
- they have no real concept of 'mates', as males are so much lower than them. If a female wants cubs she will just pick a male she likes, but there's certainly no requirement to be 'faithful' to a mate or whatever.
- they are extremely duty-bound and believe it's really important to follow orders and keep promises and be loyal
- put the pack and the pack's honour before themselves
- it doesn't give any one person TOO much power, which is part of the Via - everybody has somebody else to bow to. The Via is big on duty and obedience. There's a balance of power between the three Clans, and between the Kisaki, Shogun and Nakamura
- divided into several Clans, the competitive friendly rivalry between which keeps the whole pack strong
- ranks pass down through family eg. the Kisaki's oldest daughter will be the next Kisaki, a Shuhan's oldest daughter will be the next Clan lord, etc etc
- they worship their Kisaki and believe she is descended from the Great Spirit
- they stick honorifics on people's names (-sama for a high rank (or for all samurai if you're a peasant), -san for samurai, -chan for peasants or young wolves still in training, males don't deserve honorifics)
- higher ranks have the power of life and death over lower ranks
- if you read the book Shogun it really ought to help you figure out Clan politics, because the Clan politics are SERIOUSLY intricate. Everybody's always manoeuvring for power and being complicated and cunning.
- when somebody new comes to the pack, they are usually peasant, as only samurai's children can be samurai. However, if a samurai wishes to adopt somebody (adoption is very common in this pack) the newcomer can be samurai. This would happen if a newcomer made a VERY good impression or had done a good deed for the pack in the past before joining it (for instance, if they belonged to another pack, were a good friend to the Circle whilst in that pack, and then left that pack and came to the Circle, a samurai might adopt them because they are deemed to conduct themselves well.)
The three Clans would be called Minerva, Diana and Vesta after the three Roman goddesses. The Minerva clan would focus more on the prowess in battle and courage side of the Via, Diana would focus on the wisdom, dignity and morality side of the Via, and Vesta would focus more on the benevolence, kindness, fairness, loyalty side of the Via. Obviously, since the Clans are so competitive, they would see each other as rivals; the other Clans would see Vesta as a bunch of softies and cowards, Minerva as bloodthirsty hotheads, and Diana as stuck-up think-and-never-actually-DO-anything people.
A few things do still need sorting out... for instance, the Kisaki' species; obviously whichever species the Kisaki is, ALL the future and past Kisaki would have been that species. As they're supposed to be descended from the Great Spirit I'd love somebody with an LE to play them. Otherwise, maybe a Lumen or Sennyo? Certainly it would be easier for a Lumen/Sennyo to produce heirs than a really rare LE species.
And finally... I'll post the ranks in 10 minutes, I just want to post this before the PC decides to lose it all, as I know it will...
**edit
Okay, here are the ranks;
FIRST TIER - I was thinking maybe calling this 'Libraregis', (Libra being latin for scales, and regis being some form or other of either 'monarch' or 'realm' (can't be bothered to work it out XD), 'balance of power'?)
KISAKI - supposedly descended from the Great Spirit. In theory has absolute power but in reality the Shogun has most of the power, and the Kisaki is just a figurehead. Only those of the Kisaki' royal blood may carry this title.
KEISHI - the eldest non-hybrid daughter of the Kisaki, training to be Kisaki one day. Is respected because of her bloodline.
SHOGUN - chosen from among the Shuhan, has absolute power over all of the pack (except the Kisaki, of course). TECHNICALLY she gives up her Clan when she becomes Shogun and her Clan is then led by her heir, and she's supposed to be impartial, but in reality she always shows favouritism to her own Clan. When the position becomes open the Kisaki chooses the most powerful Shuhan to be the Shogun, hence the Clans always vying for power and favour. While they're in effect the leader they still have to bow and scrape to the Empress (service, see? The Via!) If the Kisaki deems them unfit for the position they are returned to their Clan and a new Shogun is chosen, either from the same Clan or a different Clan - any of the Shuhan. The Clan itself sorts out who ranks what then (as their Asu will have taken her position as Shuhan when they were promoted to Shogun... so it might get politically... interesting.)
NAKAMURA - highest position any lowborn wolf can achieve (they cannot be a Shuhan, Shogun or Kisaki). Basically administrator, looks after the day-to-day stuff, sorts out disputes, etc. That leaves the Shogun to sit around and look powerful and concentrate on the important stuff. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as Nakamura - it's based on skill, not birth.
KOUSEN - basically the most skilled tactician in the pack. Advises the Shogun on battle tactics and border defence. Because it's such a warlike pack, the Via teaching bravery and prowess in battle above all, the Kousen would be quite respected. Though she only has the AUTHORITY of a regular samurai - she just advises - she's really important. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as general - it's based on skill, not birth.
KYUUI - whichever person is the best at healing in the pack gets this rank. Other samurai can have/use healing skills too, but this wolf is the only official doctor. She is charged with keeping the Kisaki and her family in perfect health and tending to the Samurai if they have life-threatening illnesses/injuries. In non-life-threatening cases they're supposed to grin and bear it because they're brave and tough like that. The Via calls for courage and not being a wimp XD. Unlike most positions, any (samurai) wolf can be chosen as Kyuui - it's based on skill, not birth.
USUALLY the Kousen, Kyuui and Nakamura would all be from different Clans to keep the power balance even. Usually, though, not always.
SECOND TIER of ranks - SAMURAI tier... unsure what to call it though.
The Second Tier is split into three Clans - Minerva, Diana and Vesta. Each rank is PER CLAN eg. one Shuhan per Clan, one Asu per Clan, one Kouyuu per Clan, a load of samurai per clan, a load of Teishi and Oshiego and Ikei per Clan...
SHUHAN - Clan lord basically. Bosses around her Clan and leads it. Bows to the Shogun. Has absolute authority over her OWN clan but her authority over other Clans' samurai is complicated - she is technically higher ranked than regular samurai but if they're not from her Clan they have to obey THEIR Shuhan's orders before they obey the orders of any other Clan's Shuhan so they can sort of compete with the other Clans for power.
ASU - Heir to the Clan. The eldest daughter of the Shuhan is heir to the Clan leadership. She is equal with the Kouyuu and is tasked with learning about one day being Shuhan and helping to look after and lead the pack. If the Shuhan has no daughters, then she can name a non-related wolf to be heir, providing that wolf is samurai-born and not lowborn.
KOUYUU - usually the Shuhan's best childhood friend. Advisor and deputy to the Shuhan. The Asu will usually be influenced by her mother to spend a lot of time with a particular young wolf who the Shuhan considers good Kouyuu material, so that when they grow up that wolf will be Kouyuu. If the Shuhan dies without naming an Asu, the Kouyuu becomes Shuhan.
SAMURAI - the regular samurai. Their job is to fight, boss peasants around, act important, serve their Shuhan, constantly train their fighting skills, lecture people about the Via, and generally act samurai-like.
GEISHA - those samurai who find that their talents do not lie in honour and glory through prowess in battle may become geisha. Geisha are the source of peace in a rather warlike pack. They are there to remind the pack of the proud ideals and the beauty and the peace that is the reason they fight and value battle skills so much. Their job is mainly as friends and entertainers, to make music, create art, and compose poetry. They are also used as ambassadors and messengers to other packs. They also have some training as medics, so they can help the Kyuui to heal and look after the pack.
TEISHI - the retainers. A peasant with unusual skills in fighting, good moral conduct and whose parents weren't complete delinquents may become Teishi. This is the only way for a non-samurai to become samurai. The Teishi hurries around after the samurai doing whatever they order and training in fighting and studying the Via. If they perform an act of bravery or very good deed they can be made Samurai, a great honour. Then all their descendants would also be Samurai.
OSHIEGO - children of samurai. When still young, they're looked after by the pack. When slightly older, they follow the samurai around and copy whatever they do. When older still, given some responsibility and expected to help out around the pack. From a very young age they are trained to be elite fighters. When they do a good enough deed, or participate bravely in a battle, or show unusual dedication to the Way, they get declared adults and made full samurai.
IKEI - retired samurai. They are respected and listened to, and looked after by everybody, even the high ranks. Even the Kisaki listens to them because of their age. Age is respected in the Circle, even though it doesn't automatically equal wisdom. (Kisaki and Shuhan don't retire unless they are taking so little of their duties that their heir is basically doing them for them and the heir and second together decide they are unfit to lead (and if Shuhan, get the Kisaki's permission to retire them; if Empress, pray to the Great Spirit for wisdom in whether to remove her) - and even then they retain their position with the Asu/Kouyuu acting as Regent until they die. They might have to take less active participation in physical stuff and battles as they age, but they can still lead.)
THIRD TIER peasants. Because they're female they have rights and stuff, and they can boss males around, and live good lives. However, they still have to obey the Samurai. This tier is also divided into the three Clans - peasants from Diana serve Diana samurai, peasants from Minerva serve Minerva samurai, peasants from Vesta serve Vesta samurai, and if they were promoted to Teishi they would be Teishi of that Clan - but it's a bit more loose. There's less competitiveness and more willingness to help one another out.
KOMAKAI - basically the peasant organiser. Usually a Teishi who was never made samurai, or an unusually smart Hyakushou, is given this rank. Oversees the peasants of her Clan, does her fair share of work herself, and makes sure they're all organised and know what they're doing and everything runs smoothly. Is also in charge of disciplining males who disobey, usually by killing them.
HYAKUSHOU - their job is to serve and look after the pack. They are peasants, basically. They hunt, help look after the younger Oshiego, and do what the samurai tell them to do. They also have some rights, because they're female, and a samurai will always hear them out at least. They can order the males to do whatever they like. They patrol the borders and if a newbie/trespasser is seen they alert the Samurai who go to greet them/defend the borders. They can be promoted to Teishi if they show unusual skill or loyalty, meaning they have a chance to be samurai.
Typically newcomers to the pack will be Hyakushou, unless a samurai adopts them.
KODOMO - the peasant children. They are looked after by other peasants and they learn skills like basic self-defence, species skills (flying for a Keiyou, weather predicting for a Sennyo, controlling their magic for a Lupus, etc etc), hunting, pack laws and traditions, the Via, etc etc. When they're old enough, they're made Hyakushou (there is no need for an act of courage like there is in the samurai class).
CHUUKO - peasants retire when they're a lot older than samurai. When they're unable to honour themselves in service to their Clan any longer, they are looked after by other peasants. Even samurai treat them with some level of respect, because of their age.
FOURTH TIER males.
Males aren't split into Clans.
TATAMI - slaves that have no rights and get bossed around. The name means 'mat' - something you walk all over XDD. All males are slaves. They can establish a pecking order among themselves if they want, so long as it doesn't interfere with the work getting done. They can take more work upon themselves to take it off the shoulders of younger/older/ill wolves if they wish. As soon as a male cub is weaned he is given this rank, and he never retires. Obviously appropriate tasks will be assigned to them - a female wouldn't order a barely-weaned cub to do a job which requires a lot of strength, she'd order a big strong Yagi to do it instead - and it doesn't matter who performs a task once it's ordered to be done, but if a male fails to obey a female, he's put to death. Basically, in the eyes of the females, males are nothing. If the male is seen to pose a threat of rebellion - for instance, if he's a big strong Yagi - then they might hobble/blind the male to stop him acting against the females.
THE SAMURAI'S CREED
basically an awesome poetic motto thingy the samurai like reciting. Based off the actual medieval Japanese samurai creed thingy.
I have no claws. My wit is claw enough.
I have no tactics. I am ready for everything.
I have no lord. Honour is my lord.
I have no home. My wandering heart is my home.
I have no family. My Clan is my family.
I worship no goddess. The Kisaki is my deity.
I have no magic. My voice is all the magic I need.
I have no armour and no castle. My strength is my defence.
I walk no path. The Via guides my steps.
pack image
This REALLY needs editing/remaking for a better version. I like the idea of my image but it's appalling quality.
Since me and Cahaya have discussed this, and I would also love if you joined in, Ethereal! -luffs on the Circle-
Maybe one of the founders killed a sheep and skinned it and dyed its fur using berries and then hung it off a stick and called it a flag.
I don't think wolves would be able to create flags and I agree with Cy that geishas would be rather useless in a pack dominated by females. Perhaps they could be the wolves with the most guile and are used as diplomats to other packs because they're so sexy? xD I love the idea of the rebel princess coming to WW with a group of friends/followers. 
I like this one better, I think. I'd definitely want somebody really really really nice to make us a better one. *puppy dog eyes*
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